Application for New Ambassadors

What’s the program about?

We coach exceptionally
self-motivated young people in middle school, high school and college to
become skilled systems thinkers, public speakers and project managers. As an Ambassador,
you develop a Two-YearSchool/Community Work Plan which includes sustainability projects
that integrate the goals of your school district, city government, local businesses
and non-profits.

Ambassadors work with our outstanding network of Sustainability
Coaches to establish community curriculum connections, increase the professionalism
of your school Green Team, and establish sustainability policy frameworks within
Student Government, Faculty, PTA, and your entire school district. You track positive trends based on shared
measurement systems. You report what’s
working to decision makers. You help facilitate an annual Community Sustainability Summit.

Benefits of becoming a Sustainability Ambassador

You represent your school district and your city governmentby researching sustainability trends,
developing action projects that make a difference and reporting results to
decision makers.

You get expert training
in public speaking to deliver class seminars, school assemblies, conference
keynotes, and professional presentations to City Council, School Board, Rotary
Club, Chamber of Commerce and related non-profit organizations.

You develop project
management skills to drive change at school or in the community.

You increase your effectiveness as a facilitator and peer-coach helping other students become more effective
leaders.

You learn how to collect
data and measure progress in alignment with the policy frameworks of local government
so that what you work on is related to what the city or county actually needs
to get done.

Your assignments in class begin to connect naturally to your
work as a Sustainability Ambassador with access to great coaches. You get great ideas for essays
and research assignments in your regular classes. You add up tons of community service hours while inspiring
others to join you. You can even earncollege credit as you enter your junior
year through our partner, Bellevue College.

You get a great jump on college and career because what we do is real.

Who’s on my team?

Sustainability Ambassadors are recruited
from every school district in King County. Students often enter in middle
school and continue building their skills and serving their community through
high school and beyond. School district teams usual have 2-6 reps. We support
an annual cohort of between 30 and 40 Ambassadors.

What is the time commitment like?

The time commitment is intentionally flexible. You are
encouraged to take responsibility for your time in relation to your passion for
learning, leading and taking action. The
more involved you get the greater impact we have. The policy issues we
grapple with are complex and solutions develop slowly, so if you have a lot of
passion and a lot of patiencefor
real-world, systemic change, then you need to put your time in if you want to
be part of a living democracy. Here is the basic calendar.

Annual Rhythm

Trainings once a month (typically
12:00-5:00 on Sundays)

Project Meetings (for School District
Teams as needed)

Mid-Winter Break: Two-Day – “Sustainable Systems College”

Spring Break: Two-Day – “Sustainable Systems College”

June Four-Day – “Sustainable Systems College”

July Four-Day – “Sustainable Systems College”

August Four-Day – “Sustainable Systems College”

Option for Summer Internships

August 2050 Workout (invite
your peers!)

Ready to Apply?

STEP 1: Take some serious time to explore this website. See what you think about the structure and goals of the program. If it looks
like a good fit for how you see yourself contributing as a learner and leader,
then we want to hear from you.

STEP 2: Email
a REALLY well-crafted letter of interest to Program Director, Peter Donaldson, describing your
skills, your experience and your sense of purpose in life. Address how you see
yourself aligning with the roles and responsibilities outlined in this
document, your interest in developing as a leader and your commitment to
creating a sustainable future. Tell us who you are, how you think and what you
care about. Make it professional and personal… but concise.

STEP 3: Submit a sample of your best writing.
Something you already have. We value excellent communication skills. It could be
a research paper, an essay, or a work of creative fiction.

STEP 4: Collect at least two recommendations (1-2 paragraphs) from people who know your character, your work ethic, follow
through, and ability to collaborate on a team. These recommendations can be
emailed to Peter Donaldson.

Contact: Email
or call Peter Donaldson if you or your parents have questions or
want to talk more about this leadership experience. 206-227-9597, peterdonaldson50@gmail.com